Run over by my horse :(

[jillmburke]

Oh no! It happened! Normally my chickens and horses get along great, but today one of my mares got spooked by something in the woods and toppled over one of my poor hens. Luckily, she wasn't actually stepped on, but rather knocked about a little bit.

She got up and ran away, but since then has been standing alone in the coop. I notice she limps when she walks. Her leg isn't broken, she puts weight on it, but not when she runs. She is drinking, but hasn't eaten.

This is kind of a long shot without vet attention (which I can't afford for my chickens, sadly), but does anyone know anything I can do for her to help her heal/lessen the pain? She just seems so stressed out.

 

[thegoldengirls]

These things kinda happen.
Like you said, I'm sure she is very stressed by the incident.
If nothing is obviously broken, then I think I'd give her a couple days to recover. I would segregate her so she's in a quiet place with her own food and water. Maybe in a carrier, or something that she will nest in and not try to fly up to a roost.
It may help calm her, as well as make it easy for you to observe how much she eats and drinks, and how she acts. There is always the risk of some kind of internal injury that you're not going to see, but she would likely show signs of it within the couple of days.

Hope all goes well!
Keep us posted.

 

[Alas]

I've had it happen before. You can try putting her alone with food and water so she isnt getting pushed around. Maybe she just needs to get her bearings again. Hate to be negative, but a lot of times they kind of go into shock and sit there until they die. I hope your girl makes it.

 

[klmclain1]

If she's at least drinking.. put some electrolytes in the water and maybe even some polyvisol drops. Gives her a bit of a boost! And, I don't know if this works or not, but maybe you could put a raw egg and some water in the blender then give that to her to drink. Just thoughts.....

 

[jillmburke]

Well, I'm just reading these replies now. I left her where she was in her coop for the rest of the day. The other chickens are very good about it so far... They are sticking close to the coop and nobody is bullying her. She is usually the aggressive one. She sat by her water for a while taking the occasional drink, but after a few hours she wandered out of the coop and walked around the yard for a bit, so I think she is going to be Ok with time... They have plenty of access to feed and water in several locations, so unless I see them bullying I think I'll let her do her own thing... I feel so bad that she probably can't scratch around the manure pile, their favorite place. Thanks for the replies, I feel a bit better now, I'll keep you all updated!

 

[thegoldengirls]

Great to hear jillmburke!

Sounds like all she needed was some time to get her bearings back.

 

[starryhen]

I actually think chickens are pretty tough. This year one of my young banty black australorps was stepped on by a big horse youngster trying to get her away from the grain.
One half of her neck was crushed and destroyed. I thought she was dead for sure and I can't remember what I did for her except bite my fingernails. But lo, she did recover and grew long feathers to cover that part of her neck. She just hatched out an assortment of eggs I let her sit on. Another time a Buff Orpington came up and sat on our porch not seeming herself. I inspected her and found she was full of maggots!!!!!!!!!!!! I washed out the cavity, yuch, and then kept the area wiped out with a weak solution of Clorox(!!!!!!!) yuch. I kept Calendula ointment on it between times. My son held her for this, poor chap. She recovered, too. The only things they have been susceptible to are dogs and coyotes. These are free roaming hens.

 

[CapricornFarm]

If you think she is in pain, you can give her half a baby aspirin;-)

 

[Miyashi]

I agree with the baby aspirin suggestion.
I would bring her in the house to relax too.
I hope she feels better soon!
I'm sure that scared the fluff right off of her butt!
Poor girl. <3